Simon Mejia, bassist from the Colombian electro-cumbia band Bomba Estereo, talks about going independent, aligning traditional Colombian rhythms with hip hop, kuduro and other sounds, and about helping an Afro-Colombian community record its rich musical history.

Click here to download this week’s show. Image courtesy of Generation Bass. 

Bomba Estereo‘s album Elegancia Tropical is available to purchase here.

Simón Mejía is the bassist of the Colombian band Bomba Estéreo, a psychedelic cumbia group self-described as “electro vacilón” that began in 2001. Their music merges folk sounds from the Colombian Caribbean coast like cumbia, bullerengue and champeta with electronica, reggae and hip-hop. The band’s latest album, Elegancia Tropical, is available now through Polen Records.

Bio image courtesy of Llanero Digital.